Availability of high speed internet access has offered software application service providers a better option of using multi-tenant architecture. Multi-tenancy is an architecture in which a single instance of a software application runs on server hardware, serving multiple customers. Each customer is called a tenant. In the multi-tenancy environment, multiple customers share the same application, running on the same operating system, on the same hardware, with the same data-storage mechanism. The distinction between the customers is achieved during application design, providing privacy as well as security. The tenants may be given the ability to customize some parts of the application called entities.
A service provider organizations (using multi-tenant system) that delivers services through its sub-providers (resellers) follow the hierarchical model. The hierarchical model includes plurality of participants (customers) at multiple levels of hierarchy. In such scenarios, there is no standard way of delivering the same instance of the software to its own tenants as well as to the tenants acquired by sub-providers and allowing customization of entities at the sub-provider level.
Conventionally, this is accomplished by having separate instance of the software for individual needs and customizing the entities independently. Some existing methods provide entity customization but fail to address issues related with entity level customization in hierarchical service provider multi-tenant system. The existing methods fail to identify the hierarchy in the multi-tenant system. Also, the existing methods fail to distinguish the entities based on whether customizable or non customizable entities.
Some existing methods discuss entity level customization in a hierarchical system without providing process of entity customization. These methods identify the hierarchical level of the participant in the hierarchical system but fail to indicate the scope of the entities (applicability of the entity to the participant at specific level in the hierarchical system).
In light of above discussion, a method and system that uniquely identifies the participants in the hierarchical service provider multi-tenant system to provide entity level customization by defining scope of the entities is appreciated.